A Dedicated Teacher
by The Sage of Ninshu
Summary: A what if situation is all it takes for a universe to flip on its head. When Ebisu elects to take Naruto to a training ground, instead of the Hot springs, with a little more thrown in to make things interesting.
1. Chapter 1

**A dedicated teacher**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Chapter 1: The sealing**

* * *

It had been only a few short hours since Naruto drew the short straw — in everyone's opinion, but his own — and he was matched up against his teammate Sasuke Uchiha for the finals of the Chūnin exams.

He had of course went straight to Kakashi and requested training, only to be stonewalled. Kakashi-sensei was 'busy'and didn't have time to look after Naruto. Which Naruto translated as, he was too busy training Sasuke — the more gifted of Kakashi-sensei's students.

So, he got pawned off to Ebisu — or as Naruto preferred to call him, closet pervert. Ebisu had explained to Naruto — in a great explanation that was all together long winded — that his biggest problem was his chakra control. Apparently, he was the absolute worst on his team in regards to controlling his chakra; in fact, if he had to explain it in ramen terms, Naruto brought the water and nothing else.

Ebisu, ended up taking Naruto to a training field that had all every growing shinobi needed to get strong. Namely: a large clearing — which to run or be beaten around —, a large lake — to swim in or to launch awesome Suiton Jutsu from —, a small forest — to practice tree climbing, stealth or the best part(in Naruto's personal opinion) traps... Er pranks — and finally target stumps and dummies — to practice your weapons accuracy when a live target couldn't be found(or was unwilling).

"What training are we gonna do here?" asked Naruto, confused.

"That my young disciple is quite simple. We are going to walk on water — well I am, you, on the other hand remains to be seen." said Ebisu in his usual long winded-style of speech.

"What'd you mean?" asked Naruto confused.

"Kakashi has told me that you have already completed the tree-walking exercise. Yes?"

"Yeah, what's that gotta do with anything?" asked Naruto.

"Well this is an exercise relating to that. You will note that to achieve completion in the tree-walking exercise, you are required to apply a fixed supply of chakra at the necessary place and time," explained Ebisu, his big words were a little confusing, but Naruto got the gist of it, "basically it teaches you how to gather a set amount of chakra and dispel it."

"I guess," Naruto shrugged.

"Now, the water walking exercise is different. To achieve success, you are required to alter the amount of chakra you expel at each instance if you want to stay afloat. This teaches you to always generate the exact quantity of chakra and release the same amount," said Ebisu.

"I don't know what you saying," Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "couldn't you say it like a normal person?"

Ebisu pinched the bridge of his nose, and let out a breath, "It is better in your case to show you. You are more hands on afterall,"

Ebisu walked onto the water of the lake, and he didn't fall — sadly — into it like Naruto expected. Instead began to explain. "First you need to gather chakra to your feet, then you continually expel a set amount by matching the output to your body weight and changes in water flow, etc.,"

Naruto sort of understood what he was saying, but there was one problem. He really wanted to tell Kakashi-sensei about it, but since he wasn't here — and Naruto wasn't Kakashi-sensei's biggest fan at the moment — Ebisu...no, Ebisu-sensei would have to do. "Ebisu-sensei," Naruto said in an oddly respectful tone, "My chakra has been... Uhm I don't know, it's been weird since the second test."

"What do you mean?" asked Ebisu.

"In the forest, that snake-faced guy hit me with something in my stomach and it knocked me out. Ever since then, my chakra has been really weird," said Naruto.

Ebisu gave Naruto a thoughtful look, then he nodded his head. "Continue with the exercise anyway. I will investigate it further, but for now I want you to focus on your training."

"Alright! I'll do this in no time flat! Just you watch." Naruto grinned cocksurely.

Ebisu-sensei merely smirked as he waited for Naruto to begin the exercise. The blonde formed the Ram handseal, and he focused on gathering chakra to the soles of his feet. Once they were energised, he said, "Gather chakra to the bottom of your feet. Check!"

Naruto stepped onto the water, "expellll—" Naruto exclaimed as he fell straight through the surface of the water. "Yoww! That's c—cold!"

"As I expected," said Ebisu, pushing up his glasses, "unfortunately, the water is quite cold. So, you better master the exercise quickly. Unless you would like to become a Popsicle."

"Dammit!" Naruto growled, still shivering.

"Tick-tock, you best hurry Naruto-san, who knows what Kakashi-san is teaching Sasuke-san at the current moment. You do want to beat him don't you?"

Naruto growled, "I'm going to get this down no matter what! I won't fall behind, no matter what,"

Naruto got out of the lake and walked onto the lake again, managing to stay afloat, all of one second. Then he was immediately dunked below the surface of the water. He broke the surface not a moment later with a gasp, and went back to practicing.

* * *

 **(Ebisu)**

Ebisu couldn't help but admire Naruto's work ethic. He may not be the most skilled, but he had the work ethic to compensate. Even now, Ebisu, could markedly see progress as Naruto improved every second he was in the water.

Kakashi hadn't actually came to Ebisu. No, he had put up a notice in the Jōnin lounge and he had sent out feelers to the other high-ranking ninja. Ebisu, was the only one who had shown interest in training the boy. He had a debt to pay to the boy, and he would pay it back with interest.

He had finally understood that Naruto was not the monster or demon that everyone thought he was. No, he was a proud ninja of Konoha. He had managed to get through to Konohamaru — where Ebisu had failed to.

Konohamaru no longer strived to find the shortcut to Hokage. No, now he understood that hard work and perseverance was the only way to achieve his goal of becoming Hokage.

Some time past when Ebisu called the training to a stop. "Naruto-san, I want you to take a break until tomorrow."

"But why? I can go for longer! I'll master this exercise in an hour!" exclaimed Naruto in determination.

"I know you can Naruto-san, but you still have not rested from your fight in the prelims. You need to rest. You can start from fresh tomorrow after you get a wholesome meal and good nights sleep." said Ebisu, "Additionally, there is an issue with your chakra, which I will need to investigate."

"Alright, I guess some ramen would be nice." said Naruto, sounding quite drained.

"Be here early tomorrow." said Ebisu before flickering out of view in a great rush of movement. He reappeared in the forestry surrounding the training ground. He watched Naruto all the way until he reached his apartment before he disappeared once more.

* * *

 **(Ebisu — Hokage tower)**

"Is Hokage-sama busy?" asked Ebisu.

"No, he is currently unoccupied." said the female secretary.

Ebisu nodded, then he moved toward the door, knocking, and opening once he was given permission to do so.

"Ah, Ebisu-kun, it's nice to see you, but how may I help you? Don't tell me Naruto has been too much of a bother." said the Sandaime Hokage.

"Nothing of the sort, Hokage-sama, no he is actually quite diligent." said Ebisu, "My issue lies in the fact that your former student has also interfered with Naruto-san, much like he did with Sasuke-san."

"A cursed seal?" asked the Sandaime, in an alarmed tone.

"Not that I'm aware of. It would of become visible if he was given a mark, yes?" asked Ebisu.

"Only if he uses chakra." said the Hokage, stroking his goatee. "He made great use of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Shadow Clone Technique) and the mark made no appearance, while it manifested itself on Sasuke-kun."

"Naruto-san claimed that your former student hit him in the stomach—" Ebisu noticed the Sandaime's eyes widen marginally, "and it knocked him out, and ever since then he has had trouble controlling his chakra."

Ebisu, could only slightly pick up the troubled look on his leaders face. "Bring Naruto here tomorrow morning, I will have someone here to take a look at his stomach. If he finds nothing then we will have to take Naruto-kun to be diagnosed by a medical-nin,"

* * *

 **(Naruto — next day — Training ground 27)**

Naruto awoke early, not wanting to miss but a second of time that could be used for training. There was no way that he was going to fall behind Sasuke. He started the morning with a quick run to warm up, and followed it up with a short burst of push-ups and sit-ups.

He then stripped down to his underwear and began the water walking exercise, as he stepped in his foot immediately sunk into the surface of be lake, but he quickly corrected himself, only to fall ankle deep with is other foot.

"Dammit!" Naruto exclaimed and cringed simultaneously, "T—this water is freez—zing"

Naruto steeled himself, As his teeth chattered, "Just one step at a time,"

He moved slowly to the center, his ankles sinking closer to the surface each time, before he knew it he was walking across the surface without sinking — albeit he wobbled and threatened to fall face first into the water with each step.

When he finally reached the center he jumped up let out an exclamation of pure joy. "I'm the best! 'tte ba yo!"

Then he came down, and there was no resistance, he broke straight through the surface. When he resurfaced, his face was marred with a bitter expression. "Dammit! I just had it,"

"That you did, Naruto-san," said the voice of Ebisu.

"Eeek!" Naruto squealed in fear, pushing himself off the surface of the water, and jumping almost ten metres into the air. When he finally came down, he had actually managed to land it — he was such a bad ass — then he somehow slipped — imagine that, slipping on water — and he was submerged once more.

"Ebisu-sensei, don't do that!" exclaimed Naruto, while giving Ebisu a baleful glare.

"My apologies, Naruto-kun, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up." Ebisu said, pushing up his glasses.

"Whatever closet pervert," said Naruto, turning his head away from Ebisu, as he absolutely wasn't sulking that anyone had managed to prank him, let alone the closet pervert. Nope, absolutely not.

"Hmff! As if I would lower myself to such despicable behavior," said Ebisu turning away himself, before he seemed to come to his senses, "Naruto, you need to get dressed, we're going somewhere."

"Huh? What'd you mean?" Naruto asked, in a perplexed fashion, "I have a lot of training to do, 'tte ba yo,"

"We have a meeting with Hokage-sama to ascertain what exactly Orochimaru of the Dentetsu no Sannin did to your chakra." said Ebisu. "Now, make haste, we do not want to keep Hokage-sama waiting."

* * *

 **(Hiruzen Sarutobi — Hokage tower)**

The Shinobi no Kami, deactivated his signature spying technique and turned to his flamboyant student. He had a mane of white hair, brown eyes with red markings that ran down his cheeks and he was rather well built — more suited to a samurai than a shinobi.

"I do believe that Naruto-kun is in good hands," said the wizened old leader, "much better hands than Kakashi-kun."

"Ebisu is better than Kakashi?" laughed Jiraiya.

"In terms of combat? No he is not. However in terms of teaching ability there is no better. Ebisu-kun is very skilled at cultivating skill where there is none to be found. If you hadn't noticed Naruto-kun's potential is absolutely boundless. Unfortunately his teachers never saw it from the bigger picture. Not even Kakashi-kun with his patented 'underneath the underneath'. It's quite unfortunate, but I do believe Naruto will grow far under Ebisu-kun's guidance. It's only sometimes I feel like I made a mistake placing him on that team." said Hiruzen.

"You could of asked me to train the brat," suggested Jiraiya,

"No, you are always outside the village and moving around, besides your training method would not bring out Naruto's full potential. You are too used to Minato-kun, he was easy for you to train. My guess is, you would teach him Kuchiyose(summoning) and the Rasengan, and even then you would leave him to figure it out on his own." said Hiruzen.

"So? They are quite versatile, and combined with his Kage Bunshin(Shadow Clones) they are quite the deadly combination." shrugged Jiraiya.

"I do not deny that, however, that would severely limit Naruto as a ninja." he said, "Did you know that Naruto snuck into the Hokage's Tower? Passed all my ANBU, with nobody but myself knowing about it?"

Before Jiraiya could reply there was a knock at the door, "That must be them,"

* * *

 **(Naruto)**

When Naruto entered the Hokage's office he was greeted by the sight of a tall, and obviously muscular man. "Woah! His so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, involuntarily, "Who is he? Is he gonna help me?"

"I'm glad you asked brat, for I am Mt. Myoboku's Gama Sennin —" said the white haired man, as he struck a ridiculous pose.

"And there I though you were cool, and you had to do something like that," Naruto groaned.

"Listen here brat, I don't like disrespectful brats, and I hate rude ones even more !" said Jiraiya, and he was real threatening too.

Naruto gulped, but he pressed on, "I don't care about that! If I see you doing something totally lame, you better believe I'm going to call you out on that!"

"What would you know about lame, Huh kid? You're wearing orange!" Jiraiya gritted his teeth.

"Well of course, it's the most amazing color in the world, you old fart! Get with the times!" exclaimed Naruto, gritting his teeth in return.

"Oh Kami-sama, there are two of them!" bemoaned the Hokage, "That's enough Jiraiya, Naruto, we need to focus on the subject at hand."

"I'm sorry Hokage-jichan," Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, only to yell out in pain, "Oommf!"

"Show Hokage-sama respect!" exclaimed Ebisu-sensei, "I will not stand for my student addressing respectable figures in such a way!"

"Do not concern yourself Ebisu-kun, Naruto-kun and I, are close." said Hokage-jichan

"No, I cannot abide by Naruto-kun showing such little respect to figures of authority. It may come to hurt him and the village in future, Hokage-sama." said Ebisu-sensei

Naruto growled, "I'm sorry, Hokage- _sama_ ," said Naruto, Ebisu twitching at the obvious sarcasm.

"Let us move move on," said Hokage- _sama_ , "I fear, if we do not broach the real topic of this day, it may never happen, because I would have killed all of you for annoying me so."

Naruto grinned sheepishly, while Ebisu-sensei went the color of snow — which was quite the image accompanied by his darkly colored attire.

"Take off your shirt and jacket brat, I want to see what my old teammate did to you." said Jiraiya in a commanding tone.

"Wait, it was your teammate?! That snake-faced bastard is your teammate? Why would I want to show you anything?" exclaimed Naruto in outrage.

The white haired freak pinched the bridged of his nose and sighed, "Damned brat, I said he 'was' my teammate, that means past. So, you better show me where he hit you or you'll never get it fixed."

"Fine..." Naruto begrudgingly consented.

Once Naruto's torso was bare, Jiraiya asked, "Gather your chakra," and when Naruto gave him a questioning look he said, "just do it."

Suddenly to Naruto's surprise he noticed a seal manifest itself on his naval, it was a spiral around his bellybutton, which was surrounded by four prongs of kanji at the top and four at the bottom, and the whole seal itself was surrounded by five spiral flame symbols.

"Hmm, the Hakke fūin, and it's surrounded by the five elements seal." said Jiraiya thoughtfully, "It's really shoddy work, yeah this is more Orochimaru's style."

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"Kid, do you know that you have two chakra in you?" asked Jiraiya,

Naruto cocked his head in confusion, "Two types? What'd you mean?"

"I mean have you ever felt a special chakra that made you strong?" asked the white haired man.

"Well... Now that I think about yeah, when I fought Haku I guess," Naruto shrugged, "I don't really remember it."

"Alright," he nodded, "This seal holds that special chakra, and my teammate put a seal over your seal blocking your two chakra's from mixing."

"Wait a minute... Is that other chakra from the Kyuubi?" asked Naruto.

Jiraiya hesitated before answering, "Yes, it's the Kyuubi's chakra,"

"Then Snake-face did me a favour! I don't want anything to do with the Kyuubi! Just keep the seal on, I'll work on my chakra until it's perfect. The odds have been stacked up against me before, and I beat it; now isn't any different." said Naruto stubbornly.

"Do not be so rash Naruto-kun," said the Hokage, "we can remove the seal and reapply another one that will not interfere with your chakra."

"Sensei!" exclaimed Jiraiya

"It is his choice, Jiraiya," said the Hokage.

"But you know that the Yondaime designed the seal to mix in with his chakra; he wanted Naruto to use the Kyuubi's power to defend himself," said Jiraiya,

"We do not know his true intention Jiraiya," said the Sandaime, "You were not there."

"Woah! Hold up! What do you mean the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi in me?" Naruto interjected, bringing attention to himself.

"Yondaime-sama, sealed the Kyuubi into you. I'm sure you heard the stories that he 'defeated' the Kyuubi?" said Ebisu.

"Yeah, I did," said Naruto, contemplatively. "but I didn't know that he sealed the Kyuubi in me."

"Iruka-kun told me that Mizuki told you about it the night you stole the scroll of kinjutsu," said the Hokage.

"What? I don't remember stuff from that long ago," Naruto shrugged.

"Look Naruto, if you decide to keep the Kyuubi's chakra open, I'll take you on as my apprentice," said Jiraiya.

"Nah, I'm good," said Naruto, picking his ear. "I don't jump teachers because another could be a better ninja."

"That's pretty loyal, kid," said Jiraiya. "but loyalty to Ebisu won't stop you from dying on a mission."

"At least Ebisu-sensei is training me for the right reasons," said Naruto.

"Whatever kid," Jiraiya sighed. "Raise your arms and brace yourself."

Naruto complied, he wasn't prepared for Jiraiya's finger tips to become wrapped in blue flames, nor was he prepared for the strike to a gut. "Oooof!" he exclaimed, as he was bowled over.

"Dammit! What did you do?" Naruto asked, when he finally regained his breath.

"I unsealed Orochimaru's shoddy seal," said Jiraiya, "there was no other way."

"Give a guy some warning next time," Naruto grumbled.

"Quit your complaining and lay down on your back," ordered Jiraiya.

"What do mean lay down? So that you gut-check me again?" said Naruto, pointing his finger accusingly.

Jiraiya shrugged, "Then don't, I won't seal up the Kyuubi. How's that sound?"

"Fine..." Naruto reluctantly consented.

Jiraiya unsealed a few large ink pots, and brushes. Naruto watched him warily. He touched each ink pot lightly with chakra inflamed fingers. The brush tips were singed slightly by a flame that erupted from his finger tips.

When Jiraiya finally put brush to flesh, Naruto began to giggle, "Hey, quit it, that tickles!"

"Stop squirming brat," said Jiraiya, his eye twitching in irritation.

"But it tickles!" Naruto whined.

"Just stay still, brat,"

At The end of it, Jiraiya had painted four seals around Naruto's seal. They were the Kanji for the four elements: fire, water, earth and were surrounded by flame spirals with the tips pointing to the next seal.

"There, this Fūin will block out any of the Kyuubi's presence," said Jiraiya, looking at Naruto searchingly. "you can use it's power to protect yourself. You can use it to become powerful."

"I'm good, I can't use it to protect my friends, so, finish it," said Naruto determinedly.

"Got it," Jiraiya sighed in resignation. He flipped through hand seals, faster than Naruto could track. "Fūinpo: cardinal binding of the oiled toad."

"Aaaarchh!" Naruto exclaimed, excruciating pain overwhelming his senses.

"Uhahaha, did I forget to mention that it would sting a little?" chuckled Jiraiya.

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed, and the look he gave him said it all. "Damn bastard!"

"Yeah, yeah," shrugged Jiraiya. "Ebisu take the brat out to lunch, it's on me."

"Woohoo! Ichiraku's here I come!" exclaimed Naruto, in excitement.

* * *

 **(Jiraiya)**

When the blonde brat, and Ebisu left Jiraiya pinned his eyes on his sensei."What's wrong with you? I've told you about the Akatsuki, and with this new organisation that has sprung up, Naruto needs all the help he can get,"

"I understand your fears — truly I do — but it is Naruto's choice. If I wanted to turn him into a weapon, I would of given him to Danzō ages ago." said Sarutobi-sensei.

"I don't think you do," said Jiraiya. "from what I understand, The Akatsuki is an organization of S-rank shinobi, and their leader is a monster amongst S-ranks."

"No, you do not understand Jiraiya. This Organisation is hunting Jinchūriki, and it's very likely that they have been advised in — or their skills are suited to — capturing Jinchūriki and Bijū," said Sarutobi. "it is my hope that Naruto's true powers will awaken once his chakra is allowed to function independently."

Jiraiya's eyes widened in realisation, "I hope you're right sensei,"

* * *

 **(Naruto — training ground 27)**

Naruto could now stand perfectly on the water surface, he could even walk — somewhat — naturally on it.

"Naruto-kun, I want you to stay on the water for the rest of the day," said Ebisu.

"Huh, why? I can already stand on it," said Naruto.

"Yes, but you must perfect the exercise," said Ebisu, "additionally due to sealing off the Kyuubi's chakra, you do not have as much chakra as before."

"What'd you mean?" asked Naruto.

"I mean, I have a minor sensing ability," said Ebisu, in explanation. "that means I can sense chakra."

"So? How do you know I have less?" asked Naruto curiously.

"Because you simply feel like less," said Ebisu. "I can't explain why, I am no professional, but my best theory is that you never had as much chakra as I thought you had."

"What do you mean? I thought the Kyuubi's chakra mixed with mine?" asked Naruto.

"Jiraiya-sama did say that, but I think that it was the Kyuubi's chakra that got you to this point of capacity." said Ebisu.

"You're saying all of my chakra comes from the Kyuubi?" asked Naruto.

"No, not all of it," Ebisu allowed. "but since the Kyuubi was sealed in you from a very young age your chakra has never been allowed to develop on it's own."

"But shouldn't I have the same amount of chakra?" asked Naruto.

"This is where my theory truly runs into guesswork. You see, I'm thinking what I sensed was your chakra, and the chakra that streams from your seal," said Ebisu.

"So, it's not my fault that I couldn't use the Bunshin(clone) from the academy?" asked Naruto.

"No, while a certain level of control is required, even you should of been able to control your chakra enough to create one clone," said Ebisu.

"How do you know?" asked Naruto.

"That's quite simple," said Ebisu, pushing up his glasses. "the academy system and curriculum was designed by Senju — who are well known for impressive chakra capacity."

"So, why wasn't I able to use the Bunshin?" asked Naruto.

"My assumption is that because of your constant connection with the Kyuubi, and the fact you are not truly connected to your chakra," said Ebisu. "you see, since it was constantly supplemented by the Kyuubi's chakra, it was never allowed to grow, and because of that you have a weak connection to your chakra as a whole."

"But I can stand on water, and it didn't even take me long," said Naruto.

"I'll have to go to Sandaime-Sama and Jiraiya-sama to confirm my theories, but I think that because you have spent your student and shinobi life wrestling with chakra that would not comply, you have somehow developed an incredible control of your chakra," said Ebisu.

"But you said that I sucked at chakra control," said Naruto, scrunching his face up in confusion.

"It's hard to explain, but I think that without the Kyuubi's influence your control of chakra is not hindered, so you do not have to spend so much time wrestling with your chakra," said Ebisu.

"Okay, but what about my — er — my bad connection with chakra?"

"I think all the time that you were disconnected with the Kyuubi allowed your chakra to form a greater connection with you," said Ebisu.

"Okay, so how much chakra do I have anyway?" asked Naruto.

Ebisu narrowed his eyes in focus, "I would say, somewhere near an experienced Chūnin, that specialises in Ninjutsu."

"How far away is that from before?" asked Naruto.

"In terms of size, your old capacity was an ocean, and you are now a small lake," said Ebisu.

"So, the Kage Bunshin(Shadow Clone)?" asked Naruto.

"Is not a viable option in battle at this stage," said Ebisu, "in terms of chakra capacity — in terms you can understand — you are around Sasuke-san's level."

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed.

"Do not trouble yourself with this," said Ebisu, "You have better control of you chakra now, which I intend to put to good use."

"What do you mean? How?" said Naruto, sounding giddy.

"I'll have to do some research, and speak with Hokage-sama, but I think I can make this work," said Ebisu, "for now, keep practicing the water walking — though if I were you I'd get off the water, you're running low on chakra."

"Oh, that's what that f—feels like," said Naruto, sounding drained.

Halfway back to shore, Naruto began to sink into the water, his eyes getting more and more droopy, he managed it back to shore though, and promptly passed out, the last thing he felt was Ebisu-sensei catching him.

* * *

 **(Ebisu — Hokage's tower)**

Ebisu had taken Naruto home, and he was oddly surprised to find faded graffiti on his door. It was so faded, that the normal person wouldn't be able to even notice it, but Ebisu was a trained Shinobi, he knew exactly what he was looking at.

He knew that the village disliked Naruto, but to take action at such a young age, that was truly despicable. No wonder Naruto-kun resorted to his delinquent ways to express himself.

But was he so different? He judged Naruto-kun just the same without even a second glance. No, that is in the past; he decided. Ebisu would make sure that Naruto made Chūnin, he owed him at least that much.

"Hokage-sama, will see you now," announced the Hokage's personal assistant, jarring him from his muse.

"Thank you," Ebisu said, before entering the Hokage's meeting room.

He was kneeling on his slightly raised platform in Seiza. "What do I owe the pleasure of three visits in two days, Ebisu-kun?"

"My apologies for troubling you, Hokage-sama," said Ebisu, taking a seat.

"Not at all," smiled Sandaime-sama, "I always appreciate time away from my paperwork. I assume this is related to Naruto-kun?"

"It is, Hokage-sama and it pertains to his seal, and the Kyuubi." said Ebisu, explaining his assumptions to the man.

"Your theory holds merit," said the Hokage, "but, why did you truly come to see me?"

"Does the Kyuubi suppress the skills and development of Jinchūriki?" asked Ebisu.

"It hasn't been documented, but I assume it would depend on the situation," said Hiruzen.

"And if the Kyuubi was sealed in the container before their chakra network truly developed, would that be a situation where I am correct?" asked Ebisu.

"It could very well be," said Hokage-sama, taking a drag from his pipe.

"Is Naruto really an Uzumaki?" asked Ebisu.

"He may be, he is an orphan afterall, there is no telling what his family name truly is," replied Sandaime-sama, as cryptic as ever.

"Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama," said Ebisu gratefully.

* * *

 **(Undisclosed location)**

"We have made contact with Orochimaru," said a deep voice.

"So he has agreed to let us in on his plan?" asked another voice.

"He has, as far as I know his made contact with the Kazekage, so that will leave us open to complete the plan," said the voice in reply.

"Dan, I want you to round up our men," said the voice, "Tell them we have our chance to get the Jinchūriki."

"As you say, Nawaki-sama," said Dan, his white hair trailing after him as he left.

"Are you sure that it's wise?" asked a woman, just as Dan left, "Konoha is still powerful, and I heard that Jiraiya-sama is in the village, he could be a problem."

"Do not worry about that, you will be getting your son out from Orochimaru's clutches," said Nawaki.

"I understand, Nawaki-sama," said the woman, she had sandy blonde hair that shinned like beach sand.

"Leave me, I need to make preparations," said Nawaki. "for my sisters arrival."

* * *

 **A/N: So, this is a story idea that popped in my head the other night. I've just sorta been writing and adding shit in as I went, I'm busy with another story idea, well it's not new, but maybe a little different, just adding a new element to an old idea.**

 **Anyway, I know some of you will be a little annoyed by the pace and the route I went with Naruto's chakra, but it was a spur of the moment kind of thing, but I hoped that it was explained in a believable way.**

 **If there are any suggestions or notes, I'm super open to any that you have for me, I'm trying to develop as a writer, so any help is appreciated. And if you can offer anything towards the story I'm open, because I'm basically flying by the seat of my pants.**

 **I know that there are some guys that should be dead, but, I'll figure something out. I have explanations for one or two of them.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Naruto gets a mounted sword

**A dedicated teacher**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto, unsurprisingly.**

 **Chapter 2: Naruto gets a mounted sword**

* * *

Naruto ran across the water, diving forward and tucking into a roll, his back staying above the water as if it were solid ground. He settled into a stance as he competed the roll.

His Taijutsu certainly felt easier, and his chakra felt more agreeable. Ebisu-sensei said it was because his natural abilities were slowly rising to the surface, and Naruto liked it. He may have been a bit annoyed by his chakra decreasing in size, but once Ebisu-sensei told him what he has planned for him, and it wasn't the worst thing, in fact, he could get used to having greater control over his chakra.

Naruto flashed through punches and kicks as he shifted from Kata to Kata, spraying droplets of water around as he moved. He remembered all of this from the Academy — if there was one thing he remembered, it was Taijutsu. The problem didn't lie with his memory of the techniques, no, it was his ability to actually perform them that hindered him.

Sasuke was a genius amongst his peers, for his mastery over the different ninja arts — as much as Naruto hated to admit it. He just possessed a certain grace that screamed inherent talent.

Naruto possessed no such talents — or so he thought — besides his chakra capacity — which he recently found out, was not even his own. Then he started practicing his Taijutsu and it seemed to become just a little easier, and each day it became more so. Naruto didn't understand how it was possible. Then Ebisu-sensei told him that he at have been born with latent Taijutsu talents that were suppressed by the Kyuubi. That damned fox messed up a lot in Naruto's life, but he didn't think it went this far — apparently he was wrong.

"Naruto-kun, Jiraiya-sama is here to explain what exactly caused the issues with your chakra," said Ebisu.

"I'm coming!" Naruto exclaimed, eager for answers.

Jiraiya was sitting cross-legged, so Naruto mimicked him. "You're wondering why the Kyuubi suppressed your abilities, and your chakra?" asked Jiraiya, gaining a nod from Naruto. "There is no easy way to explain it, but I think Minato messed up the seal."

"What'd you mean?" asked Naruto, confused. "His the Yondaime."

"The seal he used is supposed to create a crack allowing the beast's chakra to mix with your system, and widen as you used more chakra," said Jiraiya.

"So what happened?" asked Naruto.

"When you were very young, the Kyuubi's chakra must have filtered into your system and suppressed your natural abilities. I think it did this by coaxing your chakra into the seal, then combining it with small portions of his own and sending it back through the seal," said Jiraiya.

"Hold on, Jiraiya-sama, why could we not feel it's presence, someone must have felt it's presence," said Ebisu.

"There are several filters in the seal, and they mostly serve to filter out it's 'dark aura' so to speak. This allowed Kyuubi to 'program' its chakra to affect Naruto's own, when it remained unnoticed," said Jiraiya.

"Why would it do that?" asked Naruto, confused.

"Because you would be more reliant on the Kyuubi's chakra without any abilities of your own. You would draw on it's power more and more, opening the seal, more and more until it could finally break out of the seal and kill you," said Jiraiya.

"But why do have such low chakra?" asked Naruto.

"I can only guess," said Jiraiya, "but I think because the chakra was filled up by the Kyuubi chakra-mix — which was becoming more infested with the Kyuubi's programming — every time you used the slightest quantity, the coils were kept full, and never emptied so there was no reason for it to grow from exercise. The only thing that grew in size was your tenketsu. Your chakra did grow — and I do mean your chakra — but it was never enough to make a difference, because you had chakra from somewhere else."

"Will my chakra come back?" asked Naruto, afraid.

"Yes, it will be a slow process, but your chakra will start recharging at the normal speed before too long," said Jiraiya.

"I still don't understand why I don't have more chakra," said Naruto.

"Look kid, I'm a sage and a seal master," said Jiraiya, "and this is uncharted territory, everything I've told you this far has mostly been guesswork on the part of myself, Ebisu and Sarutobi-sensei. I don't know what else to tell you; except the Kyuubi somehow sabotaged your chakra, and kept your natural chakra production to a minimum."

"Okay," said Naruto, not satisfied. "What does this mean for me?"

"Nothing so far, just keep doing what you're doing and your chakra will eventually purge itself of any influence. You may even gain more power when it's all said and done, at least you'll be able to control your chakra, and you have significant control now, you should use that," said Jiraiya.

"You said the Yondaime made a mistake? How?" asked Naruto.

"He gave the Kyuubi a little too much freedom," said Jiraiya, "I think if you had to enter the seal, it could control you."

"What?!" Naruto's eyes widened in alarm.

"Relax, it's all sealed up," said Jiraiya. "this brings me to the real topic. "

Naruto focused his eyes on Jiraiya, "I'm not gonna be your apprentice,"

"No, it's not that," said Jiraiya. "There is a possibility that you are of the Uzumaki clan."

"I'm what?" Naruto asked, in clear surprise. "How? I'm an orphan remember? And what is the Uzumaki clan, anyway."

"You're an Uzumaki kid, and just because you're an orphan, doesn't mean that you can't belong to a clan too. Your Uchiha friend has no family either," said Jiraiya. "and the Uzumaki clan was once a great ally to the Senju clan, and Konoha. You ever see the red spirals on Jōnin-flak jackets?" Naruto nodded. "Well that is a symbol of our alliance."

"Wait how do you know? Does that mean you know who my parents are?" Asked Naruto desperately, he had always been eager to know who his parents were, where they came from, what type of people they were, and this was his chance.

"No, I don't know who they are," said Jiraiya, and Naruto's face fell. "but your surname is Uzumaki, and Ebisu has mentioned that you showed improvement in your Taijutsu since you've been disconnected from the Kyuubi."

"So what? It's only Taijutsu," shrugged Naruto, not seeing the significance.

"The Uzumaki clan was known for their longevity, which can only come from impressive body energy, and that is what fuels Taijutsu," said Jiraiya.

"So does that mean bushy-brows and super bushy brows-sensei are Uzumaki too?" asked Naruto.

"No idiot!" exclaimed Jiraiya. "Gai is not an Uzumaki, and neither is his mini-clone. We only think you may be an Uzumaki because it is literally your last name, and you have shown improvement in taijutsu ever since your chakra has been allowed independence."

"Okay, okay, sheesh," Naruto rolled his eyes.

"This has been great," Jiraiya drawled sarcastically. "but I have very important research to get to."

"Research?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, exactly," said Jiraiya. "maybe, one day — when you are worthy — I'll take you you with me, to enjoy the fruits of my research."

"Whatever, old man," Naruto shrugged.

"Don't speak to Jiraiya-sama like that!" exclaimed Ebisu, cuffing the back of Naruto's head.

"Aah! That hurt Ebisu-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto, indignantly.

"I hope it teaches you to show respect!" said Ebisu.

"Yes! You must show me the respect I deserve, I am the great Jiraiya of Mt. Myoboku —" Jiraiya exclaimed, while striking a pose, his hand descending to the earth.

"It's was lame yesterday, and it's lame today, so quit it," said Naruto, yawning. The guy was really starting to annoy him.

Jiraiya facefell, and grumbled when he got up, "You have made an enemy of the great —"

"Put a lid in it, will ya',"

"Damn you!" Jiraiya groaned before leaving, saying something about the youth not appreciating his coolness.

Once Jiraiya left, Ebisu told Naruto to practice his Ninjutsu — with clear instruction, that the Oiroke no Jutsu was to be excluded.

He flipped through hand seals, "Bunshin no Jutsu," he said, and three clones emerged from their respective clouds of smoke. They were rather boring, lacking the life that his Kage Bunshin usually possessed. "I miss Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

Naruto dispelled the clones, and sped through hand seals, landing on tiger. "Kawarimi no Jutsu," and he was obscured by a cloud of smoke, he reappeared near the forest-line, while a block of wood occupied his previous position.

"Henge no Jutsu," said Naruto, ending on ram, he was once again obscured by smoke, and when it cleared he took the form of someone his height with smooth brown hair, gray eyes and wore a beige tracksuit.

He continued this pattern, changing the number of clones he used, or the form he took when transforming, or changing the distance he traversed when switching, and sometimes even chaining substitutions together.

When Ebisu-sensei returned, Naruto was drenched in sweat. The Ninjutsu practice really took a lot out of him.

"Excellent, you've been busy," remarked Ebisu-sensei. "was there any problem with any of the techniques?"

"No," said Naruto, after taking a breath. "but the Bunshin no Jutsu didn't really feel real, it's not like Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

"That is to be expected," said Ebisu-sensei, procuring a scroll from his kunai pouch. "the Kage Bunshin is an extremely versatile technique, and is — as far, as I know — the most advanced clone technique in existence."

Naruto watched curiously, as he opened the scroll, "What's that?"

"This is lunch," said Ebisu-sensei.

"I'm hungry, but not that hungry," Naruto remarked, with a look of distaste.

"I don't mean for us to eat the scroll, idiot," said Ebisu-sensei, "Storage un-seal!"

Within moments — after Ebisu-sensei touched part of the scroll — there was a cloud of smoke, and as it cleared, Naruto could slowly discern the shape of bowls. He could smell the rich aroma of his favorite dish, Ramen. The bowls were warm to the touch, and steam arose from the broth, filling Naruto's nose with it's aroma. It was almost as if he was in Ichiraku's Ramen.

"How the hell is it still warm?" asked Naruto, between mouthfuls of his godly goodness.

"Fūinjutsu, is a wondrous shinobi art that can achieve many ends," said Ebisu-sensei. "this is, but only one of them."

Naruto nodded stupidly as he loudly slurped his Ramen. "I want to learn that, just imagine how awesome missions will be with Ichiraku's"

"You will, but not during your month of preparation," said Ebisu-sensei, touching another part of the scroll."you will be learning something else."

Ebisu-sensei had unsealed a weapon. It had a red shaft, that was both long and thick. At the end of the shaft, that must have been the height of Naruto — if not longer — was a long blade, that was sharp on either side, and joined into a point. The blade was polished to a shine, and gleamed wickedly.

Naruto had almost swallowed his entire bowl in his excitement.

"Woah! Cool!" exclaimed Naruto, "But what is it?"

"This is a Naginata," said Ebisu-sensei. "it's a blade mounted to a staff, it is very useful in defense, and keeping your opponent at bay — even if you are unskilled."

"So, I'm going to learn how to use it?" asked Naruto, just the thought of it had Naruto frothing at the mouth.

"Indeed you are, Naruto-kun," said Ebisu.

"Awesome!" grinned Naruto.

"Finish your lunch, and I'll instruct you in the basics," said Ebisu.

Naruto went back to attacking his Ramen with gutso. His chopsticks becoming a blur as he devoured the Ramen. When he had finished he said, "I'm sorry for the rush, but I promise to enjoy you later,"

Ebisu-sensei gave him an odd look that Naruto ignored. "So, what's first Sensei?"

"Pick up the Naginata," said Ebisu, who now had a staff in his hands.

Naruto complied, "Now I'll show you the nine basic strikes, pay close attention to the position and actions of my hands, as well as the rest of my body," said Ebisu, he struck from above downward, stepping forward as he did so. He then changed his stance to side-faced and struck upward from below. "Those were the first two strikes, the first is usually an overhead strike, but anything from above will suffice. When you strike you must remember to move your body weight forward, switching your back-foot and your front-foot as you transition." Ebisu-sensei repeated the overhead strike slowly, his back bending forward, and his legs bending slightly, his dominant hand in front and his non-dominant behind.

Naruto repeated the movement, paying close attention to the movement, "It will do fine for now," said Ebisu-sensei. "The rising strike should be done with you standing sideways, with the Naginata in a lowered position. Usually the attack requires you to recline your dominant hand towards your shoulder, although depending on which leg is acting as your back leg, your leading arm will change, for instance, your left leg is the back foot, the same hand will become the leading. In this instance, the dominant arm becomes whichever is the leading arm."

Naruto followed his instructions, getting it down for the most part. So, Ebisu-sensei moved on to the next attack, a horizontal slash, from right to left, which he repeated from left to right, after changing his grip. "When you utilize this strike, from right to left, your right leg acts as the back-leg, and your right arm is the leading arm. When attacking from left to right the positions change, from right back-leg to left back-leg, and from right leading arm to left leading arm. Also, make sure that twist from the hips when you use this strike."

Naruto tried it out himself, getting slightly confused when he switched sides, but Ebisu-sensei went over it once more, helping Naruto through it, and he finally got most of the movement down.

The next was a diagonal strike downward, and upward from both sides, and they followed the same rules, and finally the thrust, which was a simple thrust forward in any direction.

"Finally, a few tips when fighting. When you want to decrease the range of your Naginata for short-range combat, you need to pull it toward yourself," Ebisu-sensei demonstrated this, by sliding his hands closer to the blade. "to increase your range to long-range, you need to push the pole outward," said Ebisu, sliding a hands closer to the bottom of the pole. "one last pointer, you should slide your leading hand down when striking, granting you extra maneuverability, allowing you to turn an overhead strike into a horizontal strike at the opportune moment." Ebisu-sensei demonstrated once more, as he brought the staff downward, sliding his hand down the pole, and cutting across horizontally.

Natuto nodded in understanding, "With this, Sasuke doesn't stand a chance!"

"Excellent, I'll watch you for a while to make sure your stances are correct, but then I need to go,"

Naruto nodded distractedly, going through stances and strikes, at first the transition was confusing, and Ebisu-sensei had to correct him multiple times, but he soon got the hang of it, and he didn't even notice Ebisu-sensei leave the training ground. He was determined to master this, he only had three weeks left till the final and he was determined to make the most of it.

* * *

 **(Ebisu — Hokage's residence)**

"Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun seems to have taken well to Naginata-jutsu," said Ebisu. "it will truly assist him in his fight with Sasuke-san."

"I did not think of that, I was more worried about Gaara, than I was about Sasuke-kun," said Hokage-sama, stroking his goatee. "but Sasuke-kun is indeed fast, so it will keep him at bay."

"Kakashi-san is of a like-mind, I believe," said Ebisu. "he is most familiar with Gai-san, his fighting style and training habits. Lee-san — or so I hear — was the most successful when combating Gaara–san's sand. I believe that Kakashi-san will take a leaf from his 'rivals' book."

"Yes, that would be something Kakashi-kun would do. . .but I hope," said Sandaime-sama. "what are you asking?"

"I would like your notes on your personal Jutsu, the Shuriken Kage Bunshin," said Ebisu.

"Interesting, it's of a lower chakra requirement — depending on the scale of the technique — so it would be just perfect for Naruto-kun," said Hokage-sama. "speaking of his chakra, how has it progressed?"

"He has diligently been practicing on the water surface every day, even during Taijutsu training. So, his control rises steadily each day, and so does his capacity — although it has been rising at a faster rate during the last couple of days," said Ebisu. "by the end of the month — if his chakra follows this path or increases — he should be about Jōnin in terms of quantity."

"You say his Taijutsu has spiked in skill in the last couple of days?" asked the Sandaime.

"Yes, it's quite intriguing," said Ebisu. "I've never quite seen anything like it in my life, for someone to go from below average in Taijutsu to simply attaining talent in the skill is nothing short of startling."

"The Kyuubi is a terrible beast," agreed Hokage-sama. "to think it has stunted Naruto's growth this much, it truly is horrific. I suggest you focus Naruto-kun's training to Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and chakra control. It is my assumption that more of his natural talents will present themselves if he works at bringing forth the available ones."

"I was thinking about that, Hokage-sama," said Ebisu." but I can't help but feel that Genjutsu would greatly benefit him."

"Hmm, that is an option," said Hokage-sama. "it will not assist him offensively against the likes of Sasuke-kun and Gaara-san, but it will show it's usefulness later on, and on a defensive perspective it could assist him in defending himself against Sasuke-kun."

"My thoughts exactly," nodded, proud that he and the Hokage were on the same train of thought.

"Then what are you doing here? You have work to do," said the Sandaime, in clear amusement. "I'll have the appropriate scrolls sent to you in the morning."

Ebisu bowed to Kage, "You have my gratitude, Hokage-sama,"

* * *

 **(Naruto — several hours later)**

Sweat dripped from his brow, falling into his eyes, and it burned like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. Unfortunately, Naruto was not in any state to wipe his forehead — it was apparently a bad idea to take off his forehead protector. His arms felt as if each muscle strand had been bathed in liquid steel. They were stiff at his sides, and any reclining motion he attempted only served to produce more molten steel.

He was even further surprised that he was still standing, then again their current state of rigidity probably contributed to that fact. He breathed in and out, and focused on his chakra. He pushed it around his body. It was an old exercise from the academy, that he was surprised to actually remember. He circulated it around his body, like he imagined blood would circulate.

He allowed his chakra to bath his pained muscles with its ethereal properties, then moved on to the next afflicted muscle. It felt good to exercise his chakra in this way. He had never used chakra in any way but combat. And it felt good to use his chakra, just so that he could appreciate it.

After his fifth circulation, Naruto felt his muscles recede to a dull ache — much to his surprise. It still burned fiercely, but the degree to which it did, seemed to have dulled, ever so slightly. So, he continued, diving deeper into the meditation.

He felt his chakra, moving with it as it flowed, coaxing it to the next node, sending small streams into his muscles, branching those streams out even further. Once his chakra had made anchor he moved to the next and the next coaxing the flow further. At first, the chakra was resistant, only obeying his will in certain areas, then he built up enough pressure — from the smooth currents — and the chakra gave in, as he dug deeper, flushing out any disobedience.

He moved closer to the center — to the source — of his chakra. It felt much cleaner there. He could feel the disobedience circulating through to the source and he dug deeper. The disobedience was purified by the warm current. It felt so inviting, so powerful, it felt as though, everything that had once been taken, would return. It felt as though, all the unnecessary extras would fade away leaving Naruto clean.

He dived in, he wanted to be clean.

He needed to be clean.

But he was denied entry, the currents surrounding it joined, and pushed Naruto away. Carefully, it's touch was a caress that said, 'not now, you still have more to do.'

Naruto was carried through currents, each anchored stream seemed to wave excitedly at him. Feeling nothing but calm; he opened his eyes.

"What?" Naruto said in surprise, shaking his stiff limbs, stretching them, to loosen up the last vestiges of rigidity. His arms and legs, and more or less the rest of his body had ceased their pulses of pain, and had actually returned to their previous strength — except they felt stronger — yet, tired all the same.

"Quite impressive, I wouldn't expect someone like you to remain so long under meditation," commented a voice, Naruto knew all too well, but he yelped all the same.

"Don't do that!" exclaimed Naruto.

"We are shinobi," said Ebisu. "and we should always be on the lookout for surprise attacks, and you, Naruto-kun need a meal and some rest, how long were you practicing the Naginata-jutsu?"

"A few hours, I guess," said Naruto, somewhat glumly. "I wish, that I could do more."

Ebisu-sensei shook his head, "You have surpassed my expectations by far, Naruto-kun," said Ebisu-sensei, sounding proud. "I expected you to focus on it for a while, then get bored, and focus on your Ninjutsu."

"Heh, just realising now, how awesome I am?" Naruto jerked his thumb towards himself. "When I say I'm gonna do something, you best believe I mean it! I can't become Hokage if I'm some quitter that gives in when the going gets tough! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Dattebayo!"

* * *

 **(Naruto — a week later)**

"Naruto-kun, today I will teach you one of the most important lessons for the Chūnin exam." said Ebisu, giving Naruto a steady look.

"What is it?" asked Naruto, equal parts curious, and excited. "Is it a powerful Ninjutsu?"

"No, what do you think happens when you attain the rank of Chūnin?" asked Ebisu.

Naruto was silent before he answered the question. "Well I remember Iruka-sensei said that Chūnin get kick-ass missions,"

"That is part of my point, yes," said Ebisu, pushing up his sunglasses. "do you know what it takes to complete a mission successfully?"

"You have to be really strong! Right?" asked Naruto.

"That is a factor yes, but no, strength isn't the most important factor," said Ebisu. "the success of your mission, is determined by your ability to lead a mission."

"Lead a mission?" asked Naruto in surprise.

"Indeed Naruto-kun, when you become a Chūnin you are placed in charge of missions," said Ebisu-sensei, his tone becoming more serious by the moment. "what do you think is the most important aspect when leading a squad?"

"The team I guess?" asked Naruto.

"This is correct, but what is most important, is how you lead that team. You need to ensure the survival of your team, and the completion of your mission, no matter the cost. Usually, these two can be accomplished without sacrifice of the other," said Ebisu, sounding more grave by the second. "but there are instances where you will need to decide whether the mission or your comrades take precedence."

"I'll do both! Dattebayo!" exclaimed Naruto.

"I'm glad to hear that, Naruto-kun," said Ebisu-sensei. "but you have to take into consideration that there are certain instances where this is not possible."

"But — but — then what is the point of all this training if I can't protect my comrades?" asked Naruto.

"I have an answer, but this is only something you can find the answer to yourself," said Ebisu-sensei. "if I gave the answer you would never truly learn what it takes to become a Chūnin."

"I think I get it," said Naruto, in deep contemplation.

"No, you do not," said Ebisu-sensei. "but it's my hope that you will in time. Regardless of this, you do not have much longer until the Chūnin selection exam finals — two weeks at most. So, today and for the remainder of the week, we will be covering Genjutsu."

"What about my Naginata, and Ninjutsu and chakra control, and my Taijutsu? I'm totally getting way better at it! I promise, wouldn't it be better to train stuff I can actually do?" asked Naruto rapidly.

"You make valid points," said Ebisu-sensei. "that is why you will separate your days into multiple training sessions with a large focus on Genjutsu during this week."

"Alright, I guess we should start." said Naruto.

"Excellent, now we shall start with defense. Remember this Naruto, you should always first learn — or at least, consider — how we would defend ourselves against any technique we aim to learn," said Ebisu.

"I guess that makes sense," answered Naruto, considering what Ebisu-sensei was trying to say. "you need know how to block a punch, right?"

"Precisely," said Ebisu-sensei, glad that he got the message across. Naruto was somewhat insulted. "as I have said, we do not have much time remaining. So, we will focus on the technique for now. Then we will focus on mastering it while you are focusing on the other areas of your training."

"You mean at the same time?" asked Naruto confused, he wasn't the smartest kunai in the pouch, but that was just a little — well — impossible.

"I understand your confusion," said Ebisu-sensei nonchalantly, it really frustrated Naruto. "but we will get to the how later."

"Okay... Fine, how do we do this exactly?" asked Naruto, he was willing to put it aside — for now, that is.

"Follow me," said Ebisu-sensei.

Confused as he was, he complied, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Ebisu-sensei was up to something. When they reached the middle of the water surface, Ebisu-sensei began to expand on his prior lecture.

"What I will be teaching you is the Genjutsu Kai technique. In short, Genjutsu is initiated when your enemy inserts their chakra into your network. To eliminate this threat you are required to flush out the alien-chakra." said Ebisu-sensei in his lecturing tone.

"So, how do I do it exactly?" asked Naruto.

"That's quite simple," said Ebisu-sensei, he smiled innocently, but Naruto got the distinct feeling that he was being pranked. "just stop the flow of chakra to your feet."

It sounded simple enough to Naruto, something felt off, that small, fledgling part of his mind that had led him to that impromptu chakra exercise, a week ago, after exhausting himself. He brushed it aside though, Ebisu-sensei wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Naruto's training.

Naruto released the flow of chakra to his feet, _wait, that means —_. Naruto — for what must of been the hundredth time in a few short weeks — was dunked into the cool water of the lake. And all he could say when he surfaced was, "Damn you! Damn you Ebisu-sensei! You won't know won't know how, and I promise you won't see it coming, but when it does happen, you will know that Naruto Uzumaki has gotten you back."

Naruto thought that he may have noticed a nervous gulp, he hoped it was. His prank wouldn't be any good if Ebisu-sensei wasn't looking behind his back all the time, and when he finally relaxed? You better believe that the prankster King Of Konoha will strike.

"Er — yes well," said Ebisu-sensei nervously. "let's move on to the technique and how it works." Ebisu-sensei sounded oddly eager to move past that. "The Genjutsu Kai requires two steps, the first is to halt the flow of chakra, then surge your chakra outward, and ultimately flushing the alien-chakra out of the chakra system."

Naruto scowled, he been practicing that internal meditation/chakra control exercise for the entirety of the previous week. After each training session he would delve into his chakra. He felt so much more connected to his chakra as each day went by. At first, it had only been to unwind, as surprising as it is, Naruto was most relaxed when bathing in the currents of his chakra.

True, Ebisu-sensei didn't actually know what he was doing. All Ebisu-sensei saw was Naruto sitting or standing quietly, which was quite the feat, considering Naruto barely — almost never — sat still.

 _And, there is no ways that you would know what to do if sensei hadn't showed us the way he did_. What Ebisu-sensei was saying about chakra that's not supposed to be in his body got him thinking. The chakra that was hard to move, was not getting any easier to move without the rest of his chakra there to push it forward.

So, what if he used the Genjutsu Kai to get rid of it? It obviously built up like a trash heap and he needed get rid of the chakra. During his first meditation and the ones following that, Naruo's source had cleaned the chakra, but it wasn't getting any easier to move the chakra, no matter what, he couldn't move it. What's worse he failed to even feel a connection to it. The biggest issue is that Naruto could not spend too much time trying to get rid of the chakra. He had so much else to do. What he needed was one big spring cleaning, and just get rid of the chakra. Purifying it wasn't helping him, but neither was the stubborn chakra.

Naruto brushed all those thoughts aside and focused on his chakra, trying to bring it to stop, it was more than difficult, he was at odds with himself, quite literally. He couldn't quite place it, but while a large portion of his chakra heeded his command, the rest — the portion that was determined not to move — decided it didn't want to stop.

He wrested with his chakra, work damn you! And after a while he had managed to squeeze his chakra around the disobedient portion, and his chakra came to a stop. He breathed in, Finally! And he surged it out.

Normally, the technique never showed any chakra surrounding the user — not visibly — but Naruto defied normalcy. When he surged his chakra outward it attacked the stubborn chakra. A slight purple haze was pushed out of his tenketsu.

Naruto contorted his face in pain, but then relief seemed to flood his system. Like popping a pimple; his mind supplied, it was the insightful portion of his mind. It seemed more vocal now, but Naruto could barely bother with that. He had now found a way to train the Genjutsu technique, while also getting rid of that stubborn chakra.

When the week was up Naruto had mastered the Genjutsu Kai technique, and he did mean mastered. To ensure that he had mastered it, Ebisu-sensei would attack him with Genjutsu, at first Naruto had no idea what was going on, and totally freaked out; but after some time Naruto began to notice that he was under Genjutsu and broke out of it. It continued in that fashion, until Ebisu-sensei could say with some confidence that Naruto had impressive skill in detecting Genjutsu.

Following that Naruto was taught some basic Genjutsu, it wouldn't really help him in his fights with Sasuke or Gaara — or that's what Ebisu-sensei told him. Naruto had other ideas, the more of the stubborn chakra that he removed, the stronger that intuitive part of his mind became. And it was this intuitive part of his mind that gave him the ideas that he had for the Chūnin Exams.

When the Chūnin Exams commenced, he would be ready.

* * *

 **A/N: I want to say thank you to everyone that reviewed, followed and favourited me. With a special thanks to Ezeakel for his detailed Pm's. If you would like to tell me how you felt about my decision with the Naginata, feel free to do so. I also hope that it wasn't too much, and you understood the explanations. Anything else you feel like you need to comment on? Pm or Review I'm all ears — well you know what I mean.**

 **Sage of Ninshu out!**


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